Blessed
by sheeptea
Summary: The day after Halloween, Ichigo finds that ghosts are doing much more than reflecting on their past lives


Warnings: possible hetro/homosexual situations, gore, and language

Disclaimer: not mine

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><p>Ichigo awoke late on the first of November to a body builder squeezing his skull in with pliers. When he cracked open one eye the pressure against his brain intensified, but it was only from the bright light illuminating the lack of a violent buff man in the mess of Keigo's living room.<p>

The curtain had somehow been torn down from where it covered the window, allowing harsh midday sun to barge its way through. Brightly colored cups were strewn across every surface, sticky cheap booze trailing out of most. The cream colored carpet now had a footprint design from the fall rain deciding to create copious amounts of black mud.

From his comfortable position on the couch, Ichigo could see Keigo passed out with his head on a pile of playing cards, dressed as Batman for last night's party.

Farther away there was a body laid out on the short legged table with its arms crossed, covered by the floral patterned curtain from head to ankle. Ichigo identified the owner of the fancy white boots as Ishida Uryuu, whose weird costume was apparently from an obscure religion from which only he still practiced.

Chad, dressed as a mariachi musician had fallen asleep sitting propped up against the wall with Mizuiro (dressed as a vampire) curled up on his lap, further exaggerating their size difference.

Covered in tight black spandex Tatsuki was lying splayed out on her stomach in a very un-ninja-like position, one hand reaching towards the bottle of Smirnoff that was miraculously perched upright, half full with clear vodka.

Keigo's sister was sitting sideways on a chair with Chad's sombrero over her face and covering the elaborate face paint from her Joker outfit.

Inoue was in a ridiculous sumo wrestler costume- snoring softly against his chest.

Using his brilliant deductive skills, Ichigo decided that his ringing ears, queasy burning stomach, and pounding headache were the symptoms of his first hang over.

Ichigo rubbed his face harshly with both hands, slightly disgusted by the greasy feeling. After a deep breath through his nose he slipped carefully out from underneath Inoue's plastic clad body hoping to god that she didn't remember anything when she woke. Deciding to let everyone else sleep the day away, the red head tiptoe/stumbled to the door of the apartment grabbing most of the discarded cups on his way out, and tossing them in the dumpster at the bottom of the staircase. Keigo's sister was going to pitch quite the fit when she woke, and Ichigo thanked god he wouldn't be there.

The walk home was far from enjoyable, but it passed quickly in his half-drunk half-hung-over state and soon he was just a couple blocks from Kurosaki Clinic. Being the day after Halloween the streets were relatively uncrowded, but Ichigo saw one man with his back to him in the middle of the road- dried blood crusted on the entire left side of his body. A glance at his floating feet showed that it was a ghost so Ichigo was prepared to ignore it as usual, when the man suddenly turned to look him in the eye.

Without moving his body.

A slow grin came to the man's 180 degree turned face that grew wider and wider, impossibly- Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and massaged them vigorously with a thumb and forefinger. When he opened them again the man was once more spacing out in the other direction. After a moment of staring Ichigo continued on, deciding it had been the aftereffects of Halloween spookiness and alcohol, ignoring the slight chill that stole up his spine when he passed the spirit.

Ichigo had been able to see ghosts since his mother's death and had been fine ignoring as they did him- they were probably a figment of his imagination anyway, him going crazy from trauma- but lately they'd seemed oddly…. restless. Some would pace, some would shudder, some would even try to interact oblivious living people, while some would just stare in anticipation at the sky. In anticipation of what, Ichigo wasn't sure he wanted to know, but had assumed whatever it was would happen on Halloween and had accordingly gotten drunk off his ass to escape the nervous tension in his bones, but nothing had happened and the tension seemed to have increased even further- the hairs on his arms were visibly standing. The worst part was that he couldn't mention the feeling or ghosts to anyone for fear of being locked rightfully in a mental institution.

With one last look behind him, Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck and slipped inside his house, closing the door shut quickly behind him.

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><p>Rukia smiled blissfully up at the dark storm clouds that contrasted so starkly against the rest of the sunny blue sky. Despite being completely exhausted, working the evening watch didn't bother her in the slightest because she was the happiest she'd been since being sentenced to earth. For the first time in fifty years she felt that maybe being a shinigami wasn't the torture she thought it to be, and it was all thanks to Aizen Sousuke.<p>

The raven haired girl had resigned herself to a lonely Halloween night staring out at the half-full moon from the confines of her tiny room in Seretei- the daunting building that dominated the outskirts of Karakura town. Hours after the sounds of merriment and celebration had begunn drifting through Rukia's open window, Aizen had knocked on the door with his kindly understanding smile and a bottle of sake. After much drinking and encouragement, he managed to convince her to join the celebration outside.

Rangiku and Hanatarou had welcomed her with surprised grins and open arms, dragging her into the fray of partying shinigami. Renji had given her one look and slipped away. With one deep breath, Rukia gathered her courage and followed her old friend.

Rukia had been sent to earth years before Renji had managed to follow, and ever since things had been strained. At first they'd gone through the motions of their century long friendship, but the tension that came from Rukia's abandonment was too much and soon they didn't even spare the other a glance when they passed by, It had broken the girls heart, but now she was going to resolve things- whether it ended in their friendship or hate, anything was better than the confused awkwardness.

The old friends had woken the next morning in Renji's bed and Rukia left for her shift after a tender kiss.

A sudden tearing pain ripping through her chest interrupted Rukia's half asleep daydreaming. She coughed wetly and looked down to the disconcerting sight of a bloody hand thrust through her chest. Using all her willpower, the dying girl turned her head and looked into unfeeling brown eyes. A huge claw appeared in the middle of the sky and with one long dragging motion the sky was rent into a portal to another world. She managed to cough out one disbelieving word, "…Aizen."

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><p>Two friends walked down the street, chattering happily about the latest gossip at their jobs, when a hunchbacked man with huge curling horns, pasty white skin, and bloodshot yellow eyes blocked their path. The taller girl glared disgustedly, "Hey freak, Halloween was <em>yesterday.<em> " The man opened his mouth and let out a guttural inhuman groan, lifting a clawed finger to the speaker's heart. The other girl's hands began to tremble. The thing let out an otherworldly cackle and spoke with an impossibly deep voice, obscured as though he had a throat full of gravel, "Your fear, I want taste it."

His razor sharp nail tore apart soft skin and the thing dug both hands into the petrified girl's chest, slipping his claws between her breasts and tearing the obstructive bones out of his way. He ripped the still pounding heart from her body with a satisfied grin and shoved the bloody organ into his mouth hungrily eyes already focused on its other prey. The girl's body fell and as if it had broken her spell of terror, the girl's friend let out a terrified screech that was soon cut off in a bloody gurgle.

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><p>Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think.<p> 


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